Specialists say every fifth dog has overweight. But how one can determine whether his pet has grown fat? If the dog is lazy, inactive, even doesn't want to play this is the sure sigh for her to lose overweight. When you pass you hand over the backbone and the chest, you should feel the bones. If you don't, this means it is time to put your four-footed friend on a diet.
- Don't feed him with anything except for the dog foods and water. Don't give pieces from you plate, restrict from any tidbits
- Reduce the day portion by 40 percent. Don't yield to provocations: whenever the dog looking at you with pleading eyes, you must keep to the regimen until your dog reaches her normal weight.
- Ask a vet to recommend the proper diet that includes vitamins and minerals.
- A dog would prefer to always eat what she likes best, meat, mainly - the very substance, she should get in moderate portions.
- You must persuade all your house members to follow these rules and feed up the dog behind your back.
- Always feed the dog at the same hour. She'll get used to it and won't feel hungry daylong. It is also quite significant which time you choose for feeding: the best is before the morning and the evening walks. In this case less fat is saved in the organism. (Ed. note: Mind, that when you give big amount before and after a walk or a training this may cause in many vets opinion a gastric torsion).
- Weigh the dog routinely and watch that she wouldn't lose more than 1 kg a week. Give her enough water and make her run. If you meet these conditions, your pet will soon get free of excessive weight.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).